I was again reminded that evening that parents only want what is the best for their children but that they need to encourage their children, preferably from a proverbial distance, without adding unnecessary pressure and that they must be so careful to not live their unrealised dreams through their children. Parents were also encouraged to interact and communicate more with the coaches of their children but that they need to remain as objective as possible especially when it comes to team selection. The best advice will possibly be to refrain altogether from getting involved and especially questioning team selection albeit extremely difficult as a parent. Sean Pollock, former Proteas captain with an international cricket career that spanned 13 years, gave the advice that children need to take part in as many different sports as possible before specialising in one particular sport and that this approach is very important to retain the fun-factor and to develop a proper skills set. Franco Smith also re-iterated that developing a skills set is imperative and that a professional rugby player, in particular, needs to have this in place so that good decisions with limited space available can be made. Paying attention to detail, proper preparation and a willingness to keep on learning from others were also some of the key concepts shared by John-Laffnie de Jager, former Davis Cup captain and international coach, in his dealings with the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who have reached the pinnacle of their professional sports careers.

The “Night of the Coaches” was excellently orchestrated by Arnold Geerdts, current parent at the school, commentator and television personality and some of these key concepts were also shared by Mr. Angelo Mockie when he addressed the boys during the past Friday’s assembly. Mr. Mockie who has featured in several professional productions as actor, director, musician or choreographer and who currently holds the position of residence head at the University of the Free State, shared with those present the importance to distinguish between knowing and understanding a person. He was closely involved in the transformation process at the UFS during the past number of years and his message was that one should never categorise a person without really getting to understand this person. He also stated that one should be proud of one’s heritage and cultural background but that one must be prepared to embrace change and that this process starts but engaging others with a willingness to understand where this person came from and what causes him to act in a certain way. This message really hit home and provided some valuable food for thought to those present during assembly.